FitBit One Questions

TheVirgoddess

If your workout isn't steps-based (walking, running, dancing, aerobics, etc.), the Fitbit won't estimate its calories well. Cycling and resistance are the two biggies it won't do.

How it works is it detects your motion with an accelerometer, which is the same thing a Wii remote uses.

It's not uncommon to see higher calories on lower steps days sometimes. Intensity matters. 5000 running steps would probably out-calorie 6000 walking steps, for example.

OP is right that the timer function is also for exercise, not just sleep.

Setting MFP to sedentary should increase your Fitbit adjustment, not turn it off. The adjustment is just 'what Fitbit estimates you're on track to burn today' minus 'what MFP estimates you burn every day'.

This is all very helpful.

I didn't mean that it turns off your calorie adjustment - I meant it won't adjust your daily calories *for* you on MFP - as in my goal of 1280 stays consistent - I think this changes daily if you're set to active or something. Although maybe I misunderstood that as well.

I really appreciate all the feedback - I feel like I understand it better and can now use it more effectively.

With all the wrong info mixed with right you've received, I hope you're not more confused than before!

Setting MFP to sedentary won't turn off the adjustment but setting it to very active and leaving 'negative adjustments' disabled will probably make it so Fitbit never gives a positive adjustment because you'd have to be more than very active to warrant one. If MFP is set to very active, it expects you to burn a high amount of calories per day. If your Fitbit never detects anything above that, there won't be a positive adjustment. Does that make sense? You can go to your Goals page and see what MFP expects you to burn. Say it says 2000. If Fitbit sees you're on track to burn 2200, it'll fill in 200 for the adjustment. That's all.

I think I'm getting a handle on it. Maybe.

My BMR according to MFP is 2030. So if I go over that, I will get a FitBit adjustment (I got this one day 1) - right?

And yes, Sue - thank you. I do see that it does measure intensity and that will impact my end of day numbers.

Thank you again, for the help.

MrTolerable

- bump to read later-

thanks for making this I just was checking out the FitBit.

WalkingAlong

My BMR according to MFP is 2030. So if I go over that, I will get a FitBit adjustment (I got this one day 1) - right?

Not quite. Go to My Home and then Goals (here at MFP). Under 'Target', what is your 'calories burned from normal daily activity'? That is the number Fitbit compares to, not your BMR.

Also, go to Exercise and click the little "i" to the right of Fitbit Calorie Adjustment. It should give you a popup that shows you just where they got the number, or why there isn't one.

jim180155

WalkingAlong and SueInAz seem to have a pretty good grasp of Fitbit's capabilities. I don't know what some of those other people were talking about, but they're definitely going to mislead anyone who takes them seriously.

OP, as already noted above, higher intensity = more active minutes = more calories burned for a given number of steps. That's not a flaw, that's a good thing. I won't try to tell you that Fitbit's calorie estimations are perfect, but taking intensity/effort into account gives you a better idea of the actual calories burned.

I recently learned that where you carry your One is important. I had been carrying it loose in my pants pocket or clipped to the lower outside of my pants pocket. Both positions picked up leg movement, and gave me a higher intensity factor than I deserved. As a result, MFP showed that I was burning around 135 calories per mile. A couple days ago I started clipping the One to my belt or the top portion of my pants pocket. Now I get about 95 calories per mile, which is much more realistic. I think the key is to clip it to your torso rather than an arm or leg that's going to be moving a lot.

Note: I don't know if you carried your One in different places the first two days, but if so, that could explain part of the calorie discrepancy.

TheVirgoddess

My BMR according to MFP is 2030. So if I go over that, I will get a FitBit adjustment (I got this one day 1) - right?

Not quite. Go to My Home and then Goals (here at MFP). Under 'Target', what is your 'calories burned from normal daily activity'? That is the number Fitbit compares to, not your BMR.

Also, go to Exercise and click the little "i" to the right of Fitbit Calorie Adjustment. It should give you a popup that shows you just where they got the number, or why there isn't one.

That's where I got the 2030 from. I assumed that was my BMR based on my activity level?

Jim, day 1 was clipped to my bra. Day 2, my waist.

xidia

Stuff I've learned about my Fitbit One and using it:
1) Clip it on your trouser/skirt waistband/belt/pocket if you can. Inside your bra cup is a good second bet, but tends to overestimate the steps for me there
2) Use the timer function for any activity that is not step based, then log that exercise separately in MFP. (I use Endomondo to track my biking and running because that will sync automatically and provides a calorie estimate. Then I got a polar HRM and have to manually override the Endomondo burn with the accurate one...)
3) Set your MFP activity to sedentary if you're going to have Fitbit auto-updating your calorie burn
4) If you leave it in the sleep wrist-band and type for a morning, it'll rack up miles and miles of "walking"
5) Sometimes the MFP/Fitbit interface goes glitchy and takes 12 hours or so so straighten itself out. Your MFP calorie burn will ignore all Fitbit updates while this is going on. It happens a couple of times a year.
6) Sometimes if you add an exercise to MFP after FItbit has synced, it will zero your Fitbit calories for a few minutes before figuring out that actually, you earned those separately and deserve the credit for them.

jim180155

Jim, day 1 was clipped to my bra. Day 2, my waist.

I would think those would both be good spots for accurate results.


EDIT: But don't listen to me. I don't wear a bra. Listen to Xidia instead: "1) Clip it on your trouser/skirt waistband/belt/pocket if you can. Inside your bra cup is a good second bet, but tends to overestimate the steps for me there "

WalkingAlong

My BMR according to MFP is 2030. So if I go over that, I will get a FitBit adjustment (I got this one day 1) - right?

Not quite. Go to My Home and then Goals (here at MFP). Under 'Target', what is your 'calories burned from normal daily activity'? That is the number Fitbit compares to, not your BMR.

Also, go to Exercise and click the little "i" to the right of Fitbit Calorie Adjustment. It should give you a popup that shows you just where they got the number, or why there isn't one.

That's where I got the 2030 from. I assumed that was my BMR based on my activity level?

Jim, day 1 was clipped to my bra. Day 2, my waist.

Ah, ok. BMR means basal metabolic rate, which is what you burn with no activity. You had the right number, though!

I've had Fitbits for nearly 5 years. I never saw a difference between bra and waist wearing stats (on me) but I agree that if it's low in a pocket where your leg moves it, that's too low.

TheVirgoddess

Ah - I get it now! Sorry, I'm still fairly new to this health/fitness/weight loss stuff

I didn't think my bra was a good spot because my boobs move a lot when I work out (they are ridiculously big). So it's on the waistband of my underwear for the time being (mostly because if I'm home for the day, I'm probably not wearing pants).

WalkingAlong

Good plan. I don't have that boob problem.

If you even have "BMR" in your vocabulary, you're doing better than most new Fitbitters!

TheVirgoddess

Thanks so much for your patience with me.

SueInAz

Jim, day 1 was clipped to my bra. Day 2, my waist.

I would think those would both be good spots for accurate results.


EDIT: But don't listen to me. I don't wear a bra. Listen to Xidia instead: "1) Clip it on your trouser/skirt waistband/belt/pocket if you can. Inside your bra cup is a good second bet, but tends to overestimate the steps for me there "

I actually wear mine clipped to the middle of my bra, between the cups. It's very accurate there. I've actually synced it to my phone app and watched the step count climb as I take steps.

I've been wearing my One for about a year and half now. The way it works best for me is to set MFP to Sedentary and let MFP give me extra calories for the day's movement. I use MFP to add my food to the diary (it transfers to the Fitbit app). For body weight and non-walking or running exercise I use the Fitbit app, not MFP. It all works together perfectly that way.

TheVirgoddess

Jim, day 1 was clipped to my bra. Day 2, my waist.

I would think those would both be good spots for accurate results.


EDIT: But don't listen to me. I don't wear a bra. Listen to Xidia instead: "1) Clip it on your trouser/skirt waistband/belt/pocket if you can. Inside your bra cup is a good second bet, but tends to overestimate the steps for me there "

I actually wear mine clipped to the middle of my bra, between the cups. It's very accurate there. I've actually synced it to my phone app and watched the step count climb as I take steps.

I've been wearing my One for about a year and half now. The way it works best for me is to set MFP to Sedentary and let MFP give me extra calories for the day's movement. I use MFP to add my food to the diary (it transfers to the Fitbit app). For body weight and non-walking or running exercise I use the Fitbit app, not MFP. It all works together perfectly that way.

See, this was my original plan, but I stay home, so most days I'm not even wearing a bra. If I am, it's usually a sports bra and there isn't a middle of the bra really. Which I take off after my workout. The undies - I change post workout but otherwise, I'm wearing them all day.

I have MFP set to sedentary. I use it for food as well.

Talk to me about using the FitBit app for workouts that don't involve stepping, if you don't mind?

SueInAz

Jim, day 1 was clipped to my bra. Day 2, my waist.

I would think those would both be good spots for accurate results.


EDIT: But don't listen to me. I don't wear a bra. Listen to Xidia instead: "1) Clip it on your trouser/skirt waistband/belt/pocket if you can. Inside your bra cup is a good second bet, but tends to overestimate the steps for me there "

I actually wear mine clipped to the middle of my bra, between the cups. It's very accurate there. I've actually synced it to my phone app and watched the step count climb as I take steps.

I've been wearing my One for about a year and half now. The way it works best for me is to set MFP to Sedentary and let MFP give me extra calories for the day's movement. I use MFP to add my food to the diary (it transfers to the Fitbit app). For body weight and non-walking or running exercise I use the Fitbit app, not MFP. It all works together perfectly that way.

See, this was my original plan, but I stay home, so most days I'm not even wearing a bra. If I am, it's usually a sports bra and there isn't a middle of the bra really. Which I take off after my workout. The undies - I change post workout but otherwise, I'm wearing them all day.

I have MFP set to sedentary. I use it for food as well.

Talk to me about using the FitBit app for workouts that don't involve stepping, if you don't mind?

I clip mine on my sports bra, too, right about the middle. I'm a runner so if I'm exercising that's usually what I'm wearing.

If you use the Log option at the top, one of the options is Activities. Scroll down and you'll see an option to Log Activities. You'll pick a start time and an end time, etc. That will override whatever movement that the Fitbit picked up during that timeframe and you won't get double credit for the calories burned. I usually only do this when I'm wearing a HRM and know my exact calories burned but you can also do it for activities like swimming or cycling to get an estimated calorie burn.

WalkingAlong

I too clip mine to the front & center of sports bras OR I stick the One itself without its case between the layers of fabric designed for removing foam pads.

If you go bra-less at home a lot, any waistband will work or clip it to your shirt collar or you can even put it on a chain.

Be careful-- People lose and wash these things constantly. They can pop out of the case and disappear or the case can pop off your clothes. Consider putting your phone number in as the 'greeting', maybe.

karahm78

Hi, I hope you don't mind me tagging along with a question! I have been wearing my Fitbit One for 2 weeks now and it is a good motivator. I am also a geek for the gadgets and syncing/apps/data/emails with badges LOL. I have a pretty good understanding of the limitations and how it behaves, but I am having a hard time understanding if I have it set up correctly with MFP.

I set up MFP as Slightly Active and was using that number goal. I then got my Fitbit and didn't change that setting, and I don't have the negative adjustments setting activated. I seem to get a Fitbit adjustment if I actually work out which is fine, but I want to make sure this is optimum as I see other suggestions. I am thinking I should set it to Sedentary and then allow negative adjustments?? Or are my settings OK as they are?

WalkingAlong

I never really used it that way so I may not be much help. I think either way you suggested is fine. Allowing negative adjustments and setting MFP to sedentary are probably more aggressive than the other ways, so it's just up to you.

I lost weight with Fitbit but it was back when the '30 day graph of intake vs. burn' that is now hidden on your profile page was up front. I kept my average intake 750ish calories below my average burn for maybe 6 months and lost about 35 lbs., I think. It came out to pretty much the 1.5 lb/week you'd expect from a 750ish average deficit, so I feel good about the burn numbers and my logging.

xidia

Hi, I hope you don't mind me tagging along with a question! I have been wearing my Fitbit One for 2 weeks now and it is a good motivator. I am also a geek for the gadgets and syncing/apps/data/emails with badges LOL. I have a pretty good understanding of the limitations and how it behaves, but I am having a hard time understanding if I have it set up correctly with MFP.

I set up MFP as Slightly Active and was using that number goal. I then got my Fitbit and didn't change that setting, and I don't have the negative adjustments setting activated. I seem to get a Fitbit adjustment if I actually work out which is fine, but I want to make sure this is optimum as I see other suggestions. I am thinking I should set it to Sedentary and then allow negative adjustments?? Or are my settings OK as they are?

I have MFP set to sedentary and I don't allow negative adjustments. So Fitbit can take away calories it thinks I've earned, but it doesn't get to touch my base calorie allowance. Admittedly, I've also calculated my BMR and base allowance from observation rather than taking MFP's estimates, so I'm sure that ignoring the Fitbit negative adjustment is fine.